The present invention relates to devices for holding beverage containers.
When people leave home to engage in recreational activities, such as at the park or the beach, they usually take food and beverages along with them. The food and beverages are often stored in portable food and beverage carriers, such as ice chests. A very popular type of portable carrier has sloped outer surfaces, such as carriers sold under the name PLAYMATE and the trademark IGLOO JUGS.RTM. by Stalnaker Plastics located at 3102 Kiowa Street, Fort Worth, Tex.
The sloped outer surfaces of such carriers, however, are not convenient for placement of a beverage container while beverage is being consumed. A separate item, such as a tray or small table, can be brought along for such a purpose but such an item is often inconvenient to store while traveling. Such an item is difficult to keep level on uneven ground or sand and does not generally provide a secure place for food or drink if the item is moved even slightly from a level position. This is especially true for beverage containers which can easily become slippery due to moisture condensation on their outer surfaces. In addition, such an item for placement of beverage containers is usually not inexpensive and can be easily misplaced.
For the foregoing reasons, there is a need for a beverage container holder which:
(1) Will attach securely to a food and beverage carrier with a sloped outer surface;
(2) Provides a secure and substantially level, nonsliding surface to securely place a beverage container and/or other items;
(3) Is inexpensive to manufacture;
(4) Does not present a storage problem;
(5) Is lightweight; and
(6) Is easy to clean.